The Hangover Part III Takes the Franchise Down in Flames
The one good thing about The Hangover Part III, is that its writer/director Todd Phillips actually tries to do something fresh with the story. Unlike The Hangover: Part II, he doesn’t recycle the exact same formula and set The Wolf Pack’s shenanigans in a new debaucherous location. Phillips attempts a more sentimental comedy to wrap up the trilogy.
The Hangover Part III opens with a Shawshank Redemption prisonbreak by the Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) and an accident caused by Alan (Zach Galifianakis) that triggers the death of his dad Sid (Jeffrey Tambor). Losing Sid, turns Alan into a bigger drug addled wreck, which is why The Wolf Pack intervenes by offering to escort him to rehab. Alan reluctantly agrees and leaves with Doug (Justin Bartha), Stu (Ed Helms), and Phil (Bradley Cooper), but as you might guess, it’s not long before their plan goes awry.
Along the way, their van is hijacked and Doug is kidnapped (again), this time by a drug dealer named Marshall (John Goodman) who has a score to settle with Chow. In exchange for Doug, Marshall tasks The Wolfpack with capturing Chow, an assignment that’s easier in theory than in practice. Ensnaring the wiley rogue will force them back to a place they swore they’d never go again (hint: it’s not Bangkok).
A major deviation from the other Hangover films, is that Part III doesn't rely on morning-after headaches and regrets to drive its narrative. Instead of retracing steps through hazy memories, The Wolfpack is on a mission where Alan might learn how to be more of an adult. Unfortunately, Phillips devotes greater energy to chasing Chow than to Alan’s personal evolution. As a result, the movie occupies a tedious middle ground between an adventure comedy and a self-improvement comedy. Plus, this thinly developed portion about Alan’s growth seems like a weak ploy to wrap everything up neatly, a trick almost as tenuous as its half-hearted endeavor to connect Part III’s events to those from the original Hangover.
While it’s nice that The Hangover Part III tries to explore different territory with its plot, sadly, this movie is not very funny at all. The primary reason is that it gives way too much leeway to Chow and Alan. Normally the two are great in small doses, however their personalities aren’t endearing enough to lead a film. Chow’s insane behavior becomes rote and Alan’s delusions of grandeur grow obnoxious. Although there is something hilarious about Part III: Alan and Chow’s prominence parallels a poster for the movie (above), featuring them head-to-head while Vegas is aflame in the background. Melodramatic implications aside, this poster is humorous because it unwittingly foretold Alan and Chow’s part in causing the franchise to go down in flames.
Like us, Alan’s buds clearly aren’t enjoying themselves either. Ed Helms constantly looks like he’s going to cry, perhaps because Alan is laying into Stu the entire time for no reason. Bradley Cooper on the other hand, seems like he’s completely bored and over the entire thing. To add further insult to injury, the supporting cast is also criminally underutilized. Talented comedians like Goodman and Melissa McCarthy are squandered with small parts that don’t allow room for their big personalities to shine.
To tie everything together, Philips closes The Hangover Part III with a montage from all three films. It’s supposed to make you feel nostalgic because you’ve been following The Wolfpack for so long. However you’re likely to feel the opposite, just like me: bored, ambivalent about the characters, and happy that the series is finally over.